Search Results: Staggers

While the mayor still got his budget, there was some shining moments last night during the budget hearing by the city’s legislative branch.

Councilor Erpenbach was able to restore $10,000 to clean the mosaic wall downtown. Money that ‘should’ have been in Central Services art cleaning budget. This just shows how petty the mayor is about his vengence towards certain people. They claim the wall will have to come down if that triangle piece of property is sold. Not true, as I understand it, it is a flood control wall mandated by the Feds.

Councilors voted down Van Eps Park improvements, $85,000 (a Staggers Amendment).

Councilors Erickson and Jamison voted down the City Administration Building (still stayed in budget). This albatross could have waited until we got the county on board.

Councilor Jamison and Anderson for having the idea to present Staggers amendments in leu of his illness.

And my biggest applause goes towards Councilor Erickson for being  the ONLY councilor to vote down the property tax increase.

I see Stu did a very long story about the budget hearing (like he knows anything about city government, once again putting down Staggers and applauding our dictator mayor).

Tomorrow Night at the Sioux Falls City Council meeting the city legislators will take a stab at amending the mayor’s budget. The rumor is that there is possibly 12-15 proposed amendments. Of course when a councilor proposes an amendment, they must get a second from another councilor before there is discussion and a vote. I think this is bogus. While I may agree with the second on voting, I think the discussion should take place before the motion. At least give the councilor proposing the amendment a chance to argue their case. In the past, most of these amendments have come from councilor Staggers, but I expect to see some from Erickson, Jamison and Erpenbach. Not sure though, I have not gotten even a partial list of what will be proposed. Also a reminder that an amendment can mean a cut OR an increase to spending.

The council meeting is jampacked with several controversial items that may be debated, this could possibly be one of the longest city council meetings in years. Ironically it may be over quick to (Dr. Staggers will be absent 🙂 Of course you won’t be able to watch it unless you have an old PC with internet Explorer, all others be scorned.

A listing of the more interesting items;

#1, Approval of Contracts. Apparently the Falls Overlook Cafe needs some erosion control for a cost of over $100K. Would be nice to pull this out of the consent agenda so our consultant happy engineering department could explain what this was for.

Also we are handing over a nice check of $275K to the Development Foundation like we do every year, but who has time to explain what they will do with the money? Just hide it in the consent agenda.

#26, Someone owes the city over $31K in occupancy taxes, but who is it? You could read all the documents until you are blue in the face and you won’t figure it out. It’s actually the EconoLodge, but no where in the pending documents will you see it. I find it ironic when a business is filing for a re-zoning or owes the city money, they try their best to hide the person behind it. But if Grandma Jones owes the city $23 for tree trimming, you will be sure to see her name with the address. So much for transparency.

#27, The city council will just finish their budget hearings at 3 PM, and turnaround at 7 PM right away propose a resolution to approve the budget, and you can read the almost $500,000 million dollar budget on this handy two-page PDF in 4 point type (DOC: City-Budget-2015). I think this is just to set a hearing date.

#34, they finally get back to talking about tax increases when you are talking about tax increases. I wonder if a week was long enough for the city attorney’s office to pull their heads out and help the council write resolutions. It sure would be handy if the city clerk was also an attorney, oh wait, they had one of those and they fired her because ‘she knew to much’.

#35, The city council wants a $365K splash pad at Spellerberg to compliment the indoor aquatic center. You could build a small outdoor pool for that.

#43, 1st reading for the proposed changes to the billboard zoning limitations. The 500 feet away from sensitive use stayed in the ordinance even though Shawna Goldhammer tried to slip it out. Luckily some savvy citizens showed up to make sure it stayed in the proposed changes. The city council could fiddle with it at 2nd reading, but I would suggest they leave it as is.

#46, So now we are signing ‘Pre-Annexing agreements’. Funny when someone is making a load of cash from selling land these kind of ‘contracts’ with the city appear, but when a big box store screws over an entire neighborhood it is done in the dark.

#48-49, All Saints has to go to the City Council to beg for approval to build on THEIR OWN PROPERTY. It’s not like they are asking for a street vacation or to put a big box store in the middle of a historic neighborhood, get this, all they want to do is expand their facility, and while they are at it add more trees and landscaping to the corner of 18th and Phillips. But the All Saints neighborhood ain’t having it. How dare these people living in assisted living think they can have therapy facilities ON campus! They should have to continue to be bussed over to Sanford or Avera. These citizens fighting this need to get over themselves. It will actually improve the neighborhood and make the ‘Gorky Park’ creepy grove of trees that exist there now go away.

#50, I believe is in reference to #34 if the council approves it.

So grab your back rest, pillow, and a cold beverage, it is going to be a long Tuesday night.